tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6432457972520738439.comments2013-08-21T12:34:03.482-07:00SCIENCE by Sarah: Scientific Concepts, Interesting Experiments, and Novel Concepts Explainedsciencebysarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00334729720990923657noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6432457972520738439.post-40584714906116961522013-08-21T12:34:03.482-07:002013-08-21T12:34:03.482-07:00Thanks so much for your thoughtful response and gr...Thanks so much for your thoughtful response and great info Sarah. You’ve validated what I’ve read about the benefits of Aspirin and vitamin D and got me thinking about other points. <br /><br />The issue of inflammation interests me a lot, as does any research that speaks to a correlation between severe food poisoning and colon cancer. Two years prior to my cancer diagnosis, I got severe food poisoning from a piece of tainted chicken (sorry to lay out my medical background, once again). I was ill for a month, my doctor placed me on sick leave, and it took nearly a year for my digestion to return to a quasi normal state.<br /><br />Apparently, the bacteria (likely campylobacter, yet it was never confirmed by the many lab tests I underwent) destroyed part of the lining in my colon. When I was diagnosed with cancer two years later, I asked my doctor if the food poisoning could have somehow been a contributing factor. She doesn’t believe so. While I have zero expertise in medical science, it’s a strange coincidence, in my view. <br /><br />Anyhow, I haven’t been able to find a lot of research in that area. Here’s one article that speaks to it: http://www.foodpoisonjournal.com/food-poisoning-information/a-connection-between-a-strain-of-e-coli-and-colon-cancer/. <br /><br />When it comes to the causes of cancer, I know there are no simple answers. The fact that I used to be a smoker is, without question, a huge contributing factor in all of this too. <br /><br />Thanks again for kindly sharing your knowledge, time, and expertise. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09783360370103816909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6432457972520738439.post-49236104128487318062013-08-21T00:06:17.334-07:002013-08-21T00:06:17.334-07:00Hey Carol Anne, thank you so much for once again s...Hey Carol Anne, thank you so much for once again sharing your personal story. It means a lot to know that my posts are reaching people who have personal experience with the topics I'm writing about, and I'm very glad to hear that your cancer was caught early.<br /><br />I've done a bit of research into your questions, and here is what I've found:<br /><br />1) Vitamin D: There have been a number of reports which have suggested that high levels of Vitamin D in the blood can help prevent certain types of cancer, including colon cancer. However, none of these studies are definitive: some are based on the effects of Vitamin D on cancer cells grown in a lab, which seems to increase cell death; some are based on observational studies, which show a correlation between high Vitamin D and lower cancer incidence and mortality, but we can't assume causation from observation alone; and some are based on clinical trials which administered Vitamin D for other purposes, but noticed there was also a reduction in cancer incidence. There have also been some studies which have shown a lack of effect of Vitamin D on cancer development. Studying the effects of Vitamin D on cancer is also complicated, because one of Vitamin D's major purposes is to increase calcium absorption. Calcium also has putative anti-cancer effects, and so it's hard to tell if Vitamin D is having a direct effect, or an indirect effect via calcium. Anyway, the current state of affairs seems to be that there isn't definitive evidence showing cancer prevention, but there are definitely indications in that direction; since Vitamin D is easy to administer and doesn't have very many side effects, many doctors have decided the possible benefit outweighs the possible risks, starting to prescribe it to people at risk of colon cancer. No one is quite sure how Vitamin D would prevent cancer, although there are theories that it helps trigger cell death of cancer cells; for colon cancer specifically, it's also been shown that Vitamin D can trigger the detoxification of an carcinogenic acid found in bile, which may help prevent colon cancer from ever forming. The National Cancer Institute in the US has a <a href="http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/prevention/vitamin-D" rel="nofollow">great information sheet</a> on Vitamin D and its role in cancer prevention, backed up with multiple scientific references. <br /><br />2) Aspirin: Pretty much the same story here. There is a fair amount of evidence that aspirin decreases the risk of cancer, especially colon cancer, probably by preventing inflammation. (Inflammation has a very complicated relationship with cancer, which will likely be the focus of a future post on this blog, but the short story is that chronic inflammation can promote cancer development.) Like Vitamin D, there aren't very many clinical trials testing aspirin specifically for its effects on cancer, although it's been observed in other aspirin clinical trials. This is a high-priority area of research for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), because aspirin is cheap, has fairly low side effects, and is also suggested for prevention of heart disease - if we can prove it also prevents cancer, it would be more or less a miracle drug. However, conducting these kind of studies requires very long-term follow-up, which can be challenging. The NCI has a <a href="http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/110111/page4" rel="nofollow">couple</a> of <a href="http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/012511/page5" rel="nofollow">articles</a> about studies showing the effects of aspirin in colon cancer.sciencebysarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00334729720990923657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6432457972520738439.post-78714805687241454512013-08-20T21:52:10.864-07:002013-08-20T21:52:10.864-07:00Thanks for your reply, Sarah.
Reading your scien...Thanks for your reply, Sarah. <br /><br />Reading your scientific explanation gives my own experience a broader context. I'm thrilled to hear we now have a registry to find matches. The procedure to collect stem cells is, at most, slightly uncomfortable. There’s very little pain for a whole lot of gain. <br /><br />Thanks again for taking the time to write and share your expertise.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09783360370103816909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6432457972520738439.post-54294667321357653152013-08-20T21:36:04.074-07:002013-08-20T21:36:04.074-07:00Congratulations on another informative blog, Sarah...Congratulations on another informative blog, Sarah. You write well and have the ability of making the complex simple. I have a couple of questions. <br /><br />I was diagnosed with colon cancer a year and a half ago (that’s why I had to leave Chorus for a while). I was extremely lucky, the tumour was small and discovered very early. In any case, the surgeon had to remove a foot of my colon. He was also able to remove 22 lymph nodes for examination. No cells had spread to other organs. Again, I thank my lucky stars. <br /><br />While I didn’t require chemo or radiation, I’m required to see my oncologist and get blood work, for five years post surgery. The oncologist has also asked me to maintain a regular exercise regime, avoid stress, and take 2,000 units of vitamin D and two baby Aspirins every day. <br /><br />Have you done any research on the value of Aspirin and vitamin D in cancer prevention? <br /><br />Thanks for your insight. I hope you keep on writing.<br /><br />Carol-AnneAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09783360370103816909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6432457972520738439.post-34915014213300698392013-08-01T23:08:58.411-07:002013-08-01T23:08:58.411-07:00Thank you so much for sharing your story, CA. It&#...Thank you so much for sharing your story, CA. It's easy for me to look at science as just a test tube and some interesting facts, but of course biology is so much more, and stories like this remind me why I do what I do. I'm extremely touched that you were willing to share your experiences, and I'm so sorry to hear that your sister didn't make it.<br /><br />The injection that they gave you was probably G-CSF (granulocyte-colony stimulating factor). It encourages hematopoietic stem cells to make more self-renewal decisions (i.e. increasing the number of stem cells), and also encourages the stem cells to leave the bone marrow and start circulating in the blood (so that they could collect them through a vein, rather than through a bone marrow draw, which is more invasive). This process is called "mobilization". And it's indeed incredibly rare that all the sisters in your family would be perfect matches for stem cell transplants.<br /><br />I got an e-mail yesterday from One Match, the Canadian bone marrow transplant registry, seeking new potential donors. It is so hard, much of the time, to find matches that they have created an international registry of potential donors. It's so inspiring to hear from people who were willing to through that procedure.<br /><br />And thank you for the complements on the blog - I'm just really glad that someone is reading it!sciencebysarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00334729720990923657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6432457972520738439.post-45157360703794246492013-07-30T16:45:04.443-07:002013-07-30T16:45:04.443-07:00I enjoy reading your blog Sarah. You have the abil...I enjoy reading your blog Sarah. You have the ability to explain complex information in simple terms. In case you’re interested, I thought I’d share my personal experience with stem cells. <br /><br />In 2002, I had the honour of being a stem cell donor for my sister who had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I’m from a family of six children, so we were all tested to determine the most suitable donor for Denise. Four of us (the four girls) were perfect matches, which I was later told is highly unlikely. Denise’s medical team chose me because, besides being in good health, I was the youngest of the girls and had had the least number of children. <br /><br />A week prior to the procedure, I received an injection (I can’t recall what it was) once a day to increase my production of cells. On the day of the donation, I was admitted to hospital for 10 hours as the team collected stem cells through my jugular vein -- a small price to pay considering what my sister had already been through. To increase the production of cells, they had me eat only calcium that day, and in large amounts: yogurt, milk, and cheese. <br /><br />A few weeks later, the doctors eradicated my sister’s immune system and gave her ailing body my stem cells through IV. Sadly, my sister’s cancer came back with a vengeance and the stem cells could not fight back. My sister didn’t make it. Yet, in spite of our devastating loss, my family believes in the science of stem cells. <br /><br />We’ve since met a few people whose cancers are now in remission thanks to stem cells. I can only hope more lives will be saved, and that we’ll learn more thanks to researchers like you. Thanks again for posting your blog. - <br /><br />Carol-AnneAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09783360370103816909noreply@blogger.com